The U.S. Places an Iran-Supported Iraqi Shia Group on the Terrorist List

On Monday, June 18, the U.S. State Department announced that it has designated the Iraqi group "Ansar Allah al-Awfiya" and its Secretary-General as part of its efforts to counter the "malign influence" of the Islamic Republic. The State Department stated, "The United States remains committed to countering Iran’s malign influence, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism, and to degrading and disrupting the ability of Iran-aligned militia groups to conduct attacks against U.S. personnel, facilities, and interests." The statement clarified that the U.S. is placing Ansar Allah al-Awfiya and its Secretary-General Haidar Ibrahim al-Gharawi on the list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists under Executive Order 13224. According to the report, Ansar Allah al-Awfiya is an Iraqi militia group affiliated with Iran and part of the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq." The U.S. State Department claims that this Iran-aligned group has claimed responsibility for dozens of recent attacks against U.S. military personnel in Iraq and Syria. The statement added that Ansar Allah al-Awfiya has publicly threatened to continue attacking U.S. interests in the region. The "Washington Institute" think tank also stated that Ansar Allah al-Awfiya is considered one of the prominent proxy forces supported by the Quds Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard in Iraq, which has long been stationed near the Syrian border. The U.S. State Department emphasized that Ansar Allah al-Awfiya was involved in attacks on the "Tower 22" base in Jordan and the Ain al-Asad military base in Iraq last year. The group known as the "Islamic Resistance in Iraq," which includes Kata'ib Hezbollah, Nujaba, and other Iran-aligned militia groups in the country, had claimed responsibility for the attack on the "Tower 22" base in Jordan, near the Syrian and Iraqi borders. During this attack, in addition to the deaths of three U.S. Army members, at least 34 were injured, and eight of the injured were transferred for further treatment outside of Jordan, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). In response to this attack, the U.S. bombed positions of Iran-backed Shia militia groups. The U.S. has also designated other Iran-backed Iraqi Shia groups, including Kata'ib Hezbollah, Harakat al-Nujaba, and Kata'ib Sayyid al-Shuhada, as terrorist organizations.